I'm 50/50 on this there are probable better fitness trackers out there BUT for something that is in the Apple Ecosystem and works well with my apps and fitness I wouldn't choose anything else.
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use Apple Watch as fitness tracker or wait
- Thread starter fritzov
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I'm 50/50 on this there are probable better fitness trackers out there BUT for something that is in the Apple Ecosystem and works well with my apps and fitness I wouldn't choose anything else.
Why do people record all this data about their workouts though? to what end? do any of you actually go back and analyse the data to look for trends etc? if so how?
All the serious runners I know do not use heart rate. they might use it for one interval or tempo workout per week so they can go back and analyse the data but if they do that they will use a chest strap and get warmed up so they know it is recording the data properly and reasonably accurately. GPS? they might use it for a new route now and again.
On a long run? I bet my best guess at any particular data point is more accurate than what the watch is telling with regards heart rate.
All the serious runners I know do not use heart rate. they might use it for one interval or tempo workout per week so they can go back and analyse the data but if they do that they will use a chest strap and get warmed up so they know it is recording the data properly and reasonably accurately. GPS? they might use it for a new route now and again.
On a long run? I bet my best guess at any particular data point is more accurate than what the watch is telling with regards heart rate.
This is essential for performance improvement. The triathlon and running community extensively uses HR during and after activities. Friends with coaches share their workout data over Training Peaks and Strava and the coaches look at all the details in designing future workouts.
I do not have a coach, but when I am in improvement mode, I look at my historical data over like workouts to gauge performance. The information makes all the difference.
My definition of a serious runner is someone who monitors their performance and works to improve performance. If a person is not using HR and GPS data and logging workout details, then that person is probably not a serious runner.
On some long runs, I will run to a HR target and cadence and will not even look at pace. If my HR is climbing too high, I will adjust while keeping my cadence in a target range. On long hill climbs, I will also target a HR and pace. And in those examples, the watch will upload its data to Garmin and Strava so I can analyze performance improvement on challenging segments.
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Unless you are measuring like for like then the data is interesting at best.
Was it a warmer day, are your electrolytes out. are you stressed, has the monitor missed a few beats or sensed phantom ones etc etc. Time is the only true measure. it is absolute and undeniable. If you run your repeats faster than last time then you ARE faster.
Was it a warmer day, are your electrolytes out. are you stressed, has the monitor missed a few beats or sensed phantom ones etc etc. Time is the only true measure. it is absolute and undeniable. If you run your repeats faster than last time then you ARE faster.
That is how people trained in the 80s, when the original Timex Ironman was the premier watch on the market. (I was racing then too, so I know first hand. I still have one of my early 90s Ironman watches.) Garmin's introduction of the Foreruner 305 was one of the major inflection points in running dynamics and training data. Endurance training has evolved dramatically over the past decade. By the way, Garmin captures weather with my activities, so when I look at performance, I have excellent like-for-like data, including temperature and humidity.
Saturday I did my usual long run that has a .4 mile, 7% grade hill climb in the middle. I did the climb twice, and I wanted to beat my prior best on that segment during my first attempt. When I got home, it all uploaded into Garmin and Strava, and I could see that it was only my 2nd best. And, I could compare my average HR and pace to all my prior runs up the hill. That is pretty powerful information and an amazing measure of my progress that would not be possible without all of the tech.
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No. I use GPS to help measure my lap pace during each of the marathon training programs I follow. Probably the only runs I don't check on my pace (6 runs a week, 16 weeks each season) are hill repeats, but even those I'll push a little harder if I more than 2 min/mi over marathon pace. I wouldn't be able to train as effectively without reasonably accurate GPS and pace.